Firefly Origins
by zzetta13
Summary: After the war Malcolm Reynolds & Zoe begin their journey of resettling and reorganizing their lives, which ain't so easy. Jobs are scarce and work hard to come by. People are known to turn to crime before they let themselves starve. Why in the future should things be different?
1. Chapter 1

_**Firefly Origins**_

 _Author's note: Beginning a new Firefly series with new characters & new adventures. Still, the old cast and crew will be aboard. Just may take a bit of time before some of them arrive. _

_Synopsis: This story begins pretty much with Mal's purchase of Serenity, and what comes next. I hope to complement the Whedon universe...a bit of sci/fi that I absolutely love._

 _ ************ Episode 1: Follow the Fire ***********_

 _Noonday on Persephone._...

Malcolm Reynolds walked up the plank and up into the belly of Serenity. In his hand there was a note.

In the cargo hold (arms folded across her chest) stood his second in command, Zoe Alleyne.

"So, did you get us a job," she asked?

The captain raised his hand and in it he held a small, white piece of paper. He twirled it between his fingers.

"Badger," she asked, looking at him.

"Short guy with a derby hat with an inferiority complex...? Yeah, Badger," he answered.

Zoe grinned.

"Good, maybe we'll be able to get us a decent cook aboard this ship," she said.

Malcolm Reynolds knew that she was annoyed. They had only acquired Serenity a few months prior. The captain had seen the vessel in a " _reclamation yard_ ", a place where old, worn-out vessels go to die, and he had immediately fallen in love with the craft, whereas zoe, not so much. She had thought that there were better ways for them to invest their modest accumulations. Still, he had convinced her that this would be perfect for them. They could get out, see the verse, and not be under the rule of anyone ( _Reynolds had issues with being under the thumb of others_ ). Reluctantly Zoe had given in and this would be the start of many illicit and exciting adventures.

Anyway, Mal now stood in front of his loyal partner in crime. In his hand, seemingly, he held the promise of a paycheck, IF they were successful, the "IF" emphasized in capital letters.

"So, who do we have to rob or kill," Zoe voiced with a smile.

The "killing" part had been said in jest. Malcolm Reynolds and she never killed anyone. Well they had in war. However, they weren't murderers, they were thieves. Still, they would defend themselves if they had to, but the thievery part wasn't going so well. There were only four of them aboard this vessel. It was she and Mal and a guy named Bester, their engine-room mechanic, and a guy named Murphy, their pilot. Not people she would have been incline to hire but hey, she wasn't main proprietor of Serenity. Anyway, the captain answered her question.

"I don't know yet," he said.

"You don't know what the job is?" Zoe was a little confused.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if Badger totally trusts us. He may be a sad little king of a sad little hill, but he still has to protect himself. The note is written in code."

"Code...? Well, what does it say?"

Mal handed her the piece of paper. Zoe opened it. She read.

"Follow the fire...," her brow furrowed. "Follow the fire, what does that mean?"

She looked over to the captain. He only gave her a shoulder shrug.

"I don't know. It's kinda cryptic. Maybe it's a test, you know, to see how smart we are."

"Well, I'm smart enough to know that we should ditch this job. My two coppers say that we flush this piece of pigu ca (ass wipe) down the septic and take our expertise elsewhere."

"Expertise...? Zoe, we've only been thieving for a couple of months...I dare to say that we are experts at it."

She gave him a stern look and a frown. The Warrior Woman was always more serious about these matters than the captain. And her warrior intuition and sense of danger was something he should, and did not, take lightly. He knew when he was traveling on thin ice with his war buddy. Mal said something he knew would pacify her.

"Ok then, how about we head up to the bridge and get on the cortex. We can search for information or anything that may give us a clue as to what this means."

Zoe's frown softened. She was okay with that.

The two made their way up to the bridge and were startled to find that the pilot was nowhere around. Zoe turned to Mal.

"Didn't you tell Murphy to remain on the bridge, just in case we needed to leave quickly?"

Sergeant/Captain Malcolm Reynolds wasn't use to people not following his orders, and Zoe, well she was mostly the only one he let question anything, in any fashion. Still, Serenity had to have a pilot, and they were stuck with Murphy until they could find someone else.

"I'll hog tie and beat him with a cattle prod when he gets back." Mal knew how to defuse certain situations with his second. They were good together and they knew it. They were the Yin and Yang of each other, why spoil things?

"Can we do some searching now?" Mal was eager to make a connection to the note, any connection.

The two search the cortex but really came up with nothing. At that time Murphy came in eating a sandwich.

"What you two doin...?"

They turned to look at him.

"Oh we're up on the bridge where I think that I gave orders for the pilot to be," Mal said sternly. There was no jest in his tone this time.

Murphy stopped mid-bite.

"I was hungry."

"You could have gotten Bester to bring you something," Zoe said.

Murphy looked at her.

"I didn't want that grease-ball bringing me food. His hands are always dirty and he smells like lubrication fluid. And snice he can only keep this thing flying for one trip at a time I thought that you said that you were going to find for somebody new," Murph said while looking at the captain.

Mal scanned him, but said nothing. It wasn't worth an answer. He returned his attention to the search.

"What you lookin for...?"

Mal handed him the note. He was confident that if he and Zoe couldn't figure it out, when there was no possibility Murph could. The pilot looked at the paper.

"I know what this is," he said.

Both the captain and Zoe turned again to look at him.

"By all means then show us," Mal said.

Murphy walked over to the console. He typed in an inquiry. What popped up were news articles, three to be exact. They all described robberies which had been committed out and around the rim worlds, robberies which all had a distinct MO. The places were all set afire after the crime had been committed.

Murphy straightened up. Mal and Zoe turned and looked him in the eye. The first pilot of Serenity brought the sandwich back up to his lips. He took a bite and began to cew.

END PART 1


	2. Chapter 2

_**Firefly Origins: episode 2**_

 _ ************* Mal and his Gang ************_

It had been over a month since Malcolm Reynolds (along with his second in command, Zoe), had gotten the note from "Badger" about a job. It was the first actual " _assignment"_ that the Captain of the Firefly vessel had attained from the miniature crime boss.

" _Assignment_ ", in this case that word seemed so disparaging. It hadn't actually been the word Badger had used, however, it was the feeling that Malcolm had gotten. It gave him the sense of being like homework. Like a school paper from an elementary teacher to be accomplished for some kinda pat on the head. Was this a bid to see if Mal was good enough to make the grade?

Malcolm perceived that this job was a tryout. A test of his abilities to figure out and accomplish a given task. It angered him a bit, being looked down-upon. However, Badger hadn't been a part of the war. He had favored neither side. He didn't give respect to those he considered below him. Or admiration just because someone had been in the military, was an ex-soldier or anyone else down on their luck. Sometime his whole demeanor left the Captain with a nauseous feeling in his gut.

Anyway, so far the team of Serenity had been able to decipher somewhat of what the note had meant. "Follow the Fire". It seemed to reference some kind of scallywags that were using fire to distract attention away from their illicit deeds. Still, the crew of Serenity remained clueless as to how to pursue the info they had gotten from the cortex…..What to do? The solution, focus on other jobs and then maybe the answer would come to them some time later. As it where, the crew had been able to find other things to do. Other jobs to take. And in the process, they had been able to gather in a couple of new crewmembers. One named Kaylee, the ship's new mechanic, and the other Jayne Cobb…..

Jayne was a big fellow, and kinda rough around the edges. Too, he seemed not to be the most loyal of souls. Still, Mal considered that maybe he didn't need Jayne to be. Not yet anyway. It had been easy enough to persuade him to join their crew, and for a time he could be useful. Mal figured that at some point he could be "de-crewed". The Captain was sure that that wasn't a word, but it worked well in this instance. Maybe as a kid, a little extra schooling on their cattle ranch wouldn't have hurt the proprietor of Serenity as well?

 _ *************** And So It Starts **************_

So, to this point the Firefly vessel, "Serenity" had upped its numbers.

With the addition of Kaylee, they now had a mechanic that could keep them in the sky, more than on the ground. And with Jayne….they had more punch, more muscle. Add to that Captain Mal, and Zoe, and then include the current ship's pilot, Murphy, and that upped Serenity's number to five. However, it did not increase their job offers.

So far the job that they had received from Badger had gone unaccomplished. Still, things weren't all that bad. They did score enough work to keep them fed and, keep "gas in the tank" so to speak. Anyway, it was time to resupply.

This day Serenity found herself docked near some little town on some little moon out in the vast expanse of the verse's dark nothingness.

The majority of the vessel's crew busied themselves with tasks around the ship that needed to be done. However, Zoe had the duty to take the "mule" and go to the local township to see what she could buy or barter.

Once there Zoe entered the resident "General Goods Store" and then, she began to obtain what was needed by Serenity. She acquired food, a few rounds of ammo, a spool of chain and a few extra "Prairie Paradise" dish plates. After the cart behind the mule was stocked and loaded with the supplies she'd purchased she covered it with a tarp, to keep things from getting dusty.

It was then that the ex-independence fighter heard the alarm "Bell". Zoe looked around in confusion. She could see that there were people running around here and there. The whole town seemed to be in a panic. At that moment the store owner came out, still in his apron, and within his hand was banished a fireman's helmet.

"What's going on Roger…..," the Serenity crewmember asked?

He turned to look at Zoe.

"Fire….Fire down at the horse stable and Katy's Boarding House. All the town's volunteers are headed there now!"

"Anything I can do," she asked?

"No…Thanks though. We got this."

Then the fellow put on his fire hat and rushed away…. towards the emergency.

Zoe reentered the store. She knew Roger pretty well. His General Store had been visited by the Firefly crew more than a few times. The least thing she could do was watch over the place while he was gone. Shouldn't take that long to put out a couple little fires….should it?

Back inside Zoe became aware of a young man behind the counter. He looked to be fifteen or sixteen.

"Hello…"

"Hello back," he said.

"Who are you," she asked?

"I'm Edgar, this is my dad's store. He puts me in charge whenever he's out, or away."

Zoe smiled.

After a short discussion with Roger's son Zoe felt that it was safe to leave the property in his hands. She returned to the mule and with a start of the motor she juiced the husky engine and pointed the front tires toward home. She should be back to the ship in less than five she was thinking.

End Part 2


	3. Chapter 3

_**Firefly Origins: episode 3**_

 _ ************** Reminiscing **************_

Within a few short minutes Zoe had made her way down the dusty, rugged pathways (of this small world) back to a familiar place, back to Serenity. She noticed that the cargo ramp had been lowered, _in expectation of her arrival_ …. And she smiled knowing that the Captain had likely been keeping a watch out for her.

Anyway, she drove the mule right up the ramp and right into the wide expanse of the cargo bay. Slamming on the brakes she brought the vehicle to a halt, and then she switched the key into the off position. The engine sputtered and vibrated a bit, but finally gave-up the ghost.

Zoe had been right, Malcolm Reynolds had been anticipating the return of his second in command. And, having heard the town's bells ringing…had become a bit alarmed. Not a large amount mind you, he knew that Zoe could handle her own and take care of herself. Still, the ringing had alerted him. Anyway, it was good to have her back now.

So, as he watched (from the catwalk above) the Captain was actually thinking how lucky he was to have a crew member as loyal as Zoe ( _maybe having Jayne aboard had bought him back to reality. It reminded him not to take his war comrade for granted_ ).

 _Captain Reynolds, having been a sergeant, a military man in the army, had gotten use to giving and taking orders (the disciplines of war demand it). However afterwards upon returning to civilian life, well like many soldiers…..he had struggled with that. And, even though he had adapted somewhat, it was ironic that he (and Zoe) discovered their best niche in tuning in to their new reality, was turning to a life of crime. Who'da thunk it?_

Now…getting back to following orders.

Mal was of stern conviction that this was his ship, and the people aboard, _unless they were paying customers_ , were his crew. And they needed to do as he was inclined. Even Kaylee, the ships current mechanic, mostly flowed his instructions. However, Cobb… well that was a different story….

So far with Jayne things hadn't gotten too far outta hand. It hadn't reached the point of "push come to shove". Still, Mal was waiting for that hammer to drop. As long as ship's newest member didn't put up too much fuss (which he hadn't), he would be allowed to stay. However, Mal got the unsettling feeling in his gut that Cobb would rather be in charge (the Captain still recalled the image of Jayne shooting his partner in the leg to shut him up).

Mal returned his thoughts to what was going on in the cargo bay. He moseyed himself down the steps and headed towards the hold's floor.

"Hey Zoe….how'd it go in town? Get everything we needed?"

She gave him her answer.

"It went well sir… I was able to get most of it, I think."

Now, even though she'd answered his query she could see that the Captain still had a puzzled look on his face. She questioned him about this.

"What? What is it sir? Something wrong?"

"Well for the last several minutes I've been hearing the tolling of a bell…..and it got me worried a little. I knew that it wasn't Sunday….so there shouldn't be any church services, and I know that today ain't a holiday…..unless the locals have adopted it as _pray for rain day_ or something (Mal, and his sense of humor). So I was wondering what that ringing was for?"

Zoe now understood his concern.

"Oh that sir….well there's a fire in town."

"A fire…..is it serious?"

"Nope, don't think so. I offered help but was turned down. Fellow there said that they could handle it."

"Oooooohhhhhh, OK. That a good thing, I guess. For a moment I was a bit nervous that the authorities had tracked us down."

Zoe looked at him.

"Sir….we're out on a distant moon way out in the Georgia System. We're so far away that even a sharp-eyed buzzard couldn't find us. There's no worries here that anyone with a badge will be showing up."

Mal thought about this.

"Guess you're right. Jayne's just got me a bit touchy."

Zoe's eyebrow went up.

"Maybe we should think of getting rid of "Mr. Jayne". After all you only talked him into coming aboard to keep him from thieving our stolen goods…..or maybe killing us."

"Yeah, I'm glad he didn't do that last thing." Mal paused a second. "I've been thinking about it, I mean...getting rid of him, but ain't the right time yet. And he has been useful with the past few jobs we've done. Just looking at him scares most folk into giving us what we want. I'm gonna give him a little more time."

Zoe smirked, but said nothing. It was time to get to work unloading.

 _ ****************** Stray *****************_

Murphy, the ship's current pilot, already had Serenity in the air whenever Mal and Zoe turned their focus to unloading the supplies brought back from the General Store. Together, they carried the spool of chain over to the side of the cargo hold….and placed it out of the way. Next, Zoe gathered the few food items and brought them up to the galley.

Mal busied himself collecting the ammo and then put it into a locker next to the wall (it would be distributed later). And then, there was only one thing remaining. It was still under the cover that Zoe had used to shield the supplies against the dirt.

Malcolm walked over to the cart. He decided to take a little break until Zoe got back. He did a little reminiscing while he waited. He thought about the _War_ …..

Rehashing old wounds was something that the Captain did not often do. The emotional pain of it all reopened old scars. Still, from time to time he couldn't keep those feelings from returning. He could still hear the bullets whizzing past, the bombs falling and the screams of pain whenever someone got hit. The screams…..that was the worse.

"Cap'm you OK?"

Mal was suddenly was jolted from his reminiscing (and he was thankful for that). He looked up at the catwalk and saw Zoe standing there.

"Never better," he said.

Zoe knew her Captain. She knew that he had gone to that place where soldiers sometimes go. No soldier was immune. She knew because….sometime she visited those places herself.

Anyway, she continued down the catwalk headed to the cargo deck. Mal turned to focus on the last bit of cargo left to be uncovered.

That was when he saw it. Movement under the tarp. He turned to speak to his shipmate as she came over to join him.

"What…..did you bring back a puppy?"

Zoe was as shocked. She was as surprised as the Captain. She looked at Mal.

"No, I didn't secure anything of this size….nor anything alive."

They both turned to look at the heap of….whatever it was, that remained under the tarp.

"Well we got a little activity going on under there….somethins movin."

Zoe flipped the mat off of the final bit of concealed "something" that was under the covering…...a man sat up. A small man. And by the looks of it, he measured not much taller that Jayne's leg.

Both Mal and Zoe's mouth fell open.

The short fellow gave them a huge grin.

"Top of the morning to ya…..," he said.

This was weird... and all three were spellbound. It seemed that they all remained still. Each waiting to see what would happen next.

End Part 3


	4. Chapter 4

_**Firefly Origins: episode 4**_

 _From the Author…Hello Firefly fandom. I have a little thing that I like to do whenever I'm typing out a new story. That thing is, populating the Firefly universe. I always like to picture an actor, or an actress that I would use play a certain part, a certain character….if my story were actually going to be rendered into a tv episode. And so…as such, at the end of this chapter there will be a question, and if you like, toss me an answer. I'd really enjoy hearing your ideas….._

 _ *********** Travis Parker-Stowaway ***********_

With the sudden realization that there was a stowaway onboard his vessel, Malcolm Reynolds' military instinct kicked in. His pistol was out in a flash. The barrel pointed directly at the little man's head. The Captain's movement had been so swift, so deliberate, that even his war buddy Zoe was startled by his quickness.

"It ain't morning, it's afternoon….," the Captain said sternly.

"Ooooooohhhhh wait…..hold on a minute…there's no need for that," the fellow said. "At least give me a chance to explain myself."

"Then you'd better be quick with an answer, _Dong ma_?"

The man nodded his head that he understood.

"Good….First of all, who are you? And second, what the _*diyu_ (Hell) are you doing on my boat?"

The small guy could see in the Captain's eyes that this was no man to be trifled with. Still, he did notice that Mal's finger had eased off the trigger a bit. Even so, he knew too that it would have no difficulty tightening back up again.

The small man relaxed a little. In his view he was just happy that he hadn't been shot…not yet anyway.

"Well as to your first inquiry sir….my name is Travis, Travis Parker. And as for your second question, my occupation labels me as a **peripatetic**."

Now, even though Malcolm Reynolds had been a schooled man, educated well enough, it did seem as if he were confused a little by this word. It was one he'd never heard before. Was this response just some kind of way to throw him off guard, or, was it something other? Still it did sound professional and important. He would hate to shoot a fellow that may hold some kinda benefit, and, have a good reason for stealing away on his boat.

"So, you a doc?"

 _(Mal for some time now had thought that the ship could use one of those. A doctor, a medic. Someone to patch-up himself or his crew if one of their jobs went south_ )

Zoe looked at the little man, and then, with a sideways retort….she gave Mal an alternate interpretation of Travis' reply.

"Sir…he's a gypsy…"

Mai turned to her.

"What..?"

Travis seemed annoyed and insulted by Zoe's version of what he'd said. He looked at her, looked straight into her eyes.

"GYPSY? I prefer the word traveler….."

Zoe's eyebrows narrowed. Travis changed his mind about objecting to her interpretation.

"…OK gypsy," he conceded. He knew then that no kind of clever talk could get him out of this situation.

At that moment Kaylee wandered into the cargo bay. The moment see saw the small fellow her face lit up like she was seeing a relative that she hadn't seen in years. Her mouth curled into the big grin. She was always happy to have a new face aboard.

"What….we have a customer?"

Mal looked over at his engine mechanic.

"No….he ain't no customer."

"But oh, I could be. The people back there treated me like La shi (crap)," Travis countered. "Who's to say that I couldn't become a passenger aboard this vessel?"

"Me..," Malcolm answered. "Zoe contact Murphy. Tell him to spin the ship about. We need to return this vagabond back to that dirt rock we just departed."

Mal didn't like it when a stranger was on his ship. Especially a sneaky, low-down infiltrator.

"Why do that sir…..?"

Zoe seemed to be siding with Travis.

( _Maybe she felt sorry for the little guy, felt a little more empathetic towards his plight. She wasn't ready to shoot him, or maybe force him out of a porthole…like the Captain often threatened to do to those he wanted to make a point to. Although Travis did look as if he could fit through a porthole rather easily)._

"Yes…..why," Travis added, "….why take me back when you have a paying client right here?"

Mal's eyes shifted….one eyebrow up, the other down. Maybe Travis could pay a fee, but he doubted it. However, he would give the man an opportunity to prove different.

"A paying customer?"

Travis didn't look as if he could afford a toothpick, much less fare to their next destination, or anyplace else.

"So, you got toll-coin in your pocket," Mal asked?

Not an unreasonable question.

The small man looked a little embarrassed.

"Well, not hard cash but…"

"Come again….?"

"By pay I meant that….Well, in my travels have I have acquired a wealth of information and knowledge. And as such….am willing to share. I am a walking, talking encyclopedia."

Mal looked at him.

" _Feihua_ (bullshit). Zoe turn the ship around."

"Now wait Captain," Travis countered, "there is payment to be had. I just need to get to someplace where I can access my savings account."

"Your account?" Mal laughed. "You don't seem to be the kind of fellow to have a bank account, much less have more than dust stored in one."

Just at that moment Jayne walked in.

"Who's the runt?"

The big mercenary always did have a way with words.

 _ **End part 4**_

 _ **Question**_ _. If this were an actual Firefly episode. Then what actor do you think would be best for playing the part of Travis? I have in mind who I'd pick…..what's yours?_


End file.
